"You have got to be the friendliest ex he could have gotten stuck with," she said. "Can I say... He's still here for two weeks. He'd appreciate hearing that from you."
"I don't think so," I said wryly.
"For the years of romance and history, one last goodbye in person."
"I'll think about it," I said, so she'd stop pushing. I didn't trust what I would do seeing him again, and I knew my resolve was as weak as him reaching out to touch me, kiss me, say that he still loved me. I couldn't do that to him.
I didn't know whether I could be this strong for two weeks, but I'd try. I wanted him to be happy – this was how it had to happen for him. I could do it if it was for him.
Chapter Thirty One
Roman
Unlike a lot of people, Don didn't get Saturdays off. I had thought about going to see him sooner, but I wanted to wait and let it sit for a while first.
Part of me until about yesterday had been certain that it was all a dream, and no, of course, we hadn't broken up again. She hadn't come to my house and cussed me out, saying she wanted out of the relationship. That hadn't happened. It was all a fucked up fever dream I would wake up from and everything would be fine. That phone call I had made? That hadn't happened either.
But then yesterday, bright and early, who did I get a call from, but Coach Hayes himself. This wasn't a drill. It was happening, and it was happening in two weeks.
For a minute, everything inside me was screaming to tell Veronica the good news, but I didn't think I got to call her and tell her things like that anymore. She didn't want me to contact her again. I'd made it the last couple days without doing it, but I wasn't sure how much more success I would keep having with this. It was so weird.
How were something so great and something so fucked up happening in my life at the same time? I hadn't prepared for it to be this way. I didn't feel anything, mostly just numb. Maybe that would change but right now?
I just needed to talk to someone. Tiff was good, but she was as biased as I was. Apparently, she hadn't had any idea that Ron had wanted to break up with me and had taken it pretty bad. I knew that the two of them talked and Tiff would probably tell me anything I asked about Ron, but I didn't think I needed to hear that right now.
I texted him before I made the drive to his place to make sure he wasn't still working. His door was unlocked when I got there and I let myself in. The television was on where he sat in the living room.
"What happened this time?" he asked as I walked in.
"What do you mean?"
"I mean I can smell the anxiety coming off you. What happened?" he asked. I sat on one of the couches as he turned the television off.
"It's over," I announced.
"What? What's over?"
"Ron and me. She ended it."
"Just like that? How?"
"We had a date the other day. She was meant to come to my place. So, she shows up, and I can tell she's upset, right? Like, irritated. I ask her what's wrong and she just blows up on me. She says all this stuff like she had a life when we broke up before and she wanted that back. She didn't want to be with me anymore."
"Hasn't it been weeks? Why would she say that to you now?"
"I don't know? I thought we were doing good. I thought she was happy," I said, running my hands through my hair. "I don't know why she turned like that."
"Are you sure you want to know why?"
"I... I don't know. She just told me she didn't want this anymore."
"What did you do?"
"I called the team back. I took the position."
"Good," he said, leaning back.
"What?" I snapped.